Seven Titles of Jesus Christ
Welcome:
Introduction: Who: The apostle John, the beloved disciple, the one who was closest to Jesus, the only man standing at Jesus’ cross when He died. When: AD 90-100 Where Written from Ephesus. Why: But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31
The Christian scholar Francis Junius, tells how he was all messed up in his youth, but by the grace of God was wonderfully recovered by accidentally reading the first 4 verses of John in a bible which his father put in his way. “I saw such a divinity in the argument, such an authority and majesty in the style, that my flesh trembled, and I was struck with such amazement that for a whole day I scarcely knew where I was or what I did”; he dates the beginning of his Christian experience to the reading of John 1:1-4.
Let’s open our Bibles to John chapter 1.
As you’re turning to John 1, let me ask a question: “How can we come to know the living God?” Probably no question is more important because it relates to life after death. In the past 50 years a movement came into being that proclaimed “God is Dead”. And then Shirley McClain came along and stood on the beach, raised her hands in worship of herself, and proclaimed, “I am God.” Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only True God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.” Both the philosophies “God is dead”, and “I am God” don’t help us to know God, but today’s study will show us exactly how to know the Living God.
Let’s pray:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:1-4
Let’s notice the first verse.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
“In the beginning…” What does it mean, “in the Beginning?” This “beginning” comes before the “all things were made” in verse 3, so John is talking about the beginning of creation, the beginning of time. In the beginning, before creation, was the Word.
If the Word was before creation, which He was, because all things were made by Him, if He was “in the beginning” then He, Himself had no beginning, which is just another way of saying that the Word is eternal. John 17:5 confirms this truth:
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:5
Now we must understand something here: since only God is eternal, the absolute Deity of Jesus Christ is affirmed here. God will not share His glory with another, and yet Jesus Christ had the glory of God before the world began. He was wrapped in the glory of God. Jesus is eternal. Jesus is God.
“In the beginning was the Word.” Notice John 1:15:
John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, ’He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’" John 1:15 Christ was born 6 months after John, but existed before John.
John 8:58 says “before Abraham was born I am” (eimi, timeless existence). Jesus, as the eternal God, existed before Abraham. He is eternal.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
So what is brought out here is the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. He was before John the Baptist, He was before Abraham; He was “before all things.”
And now we come to the first title of Jesus Christ in this passage. There are five titles of Christ in these five verses and this is the first title - “The Word” What is the exact meaning of this title, The Word? Three passages of Scripture which will help us understand, I will read them for you:
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2
Here we learn that Christ is the final spokesman of God, His final communication to the world. All that God wants to say to us He says in Christ, the Word.
Next, look at Revelation 1:8, this is the Savior’s title:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8
Alpha and Omega: first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus is God’s “alphabet;” the One Who spells out Deity, the One Who says all God has to say.
Finally, John 1, verse 18:
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. John 1:18
This verse tells us that Jesus has made the Father known. The Word here for “made known” is “exegete.” To exegete a passage of Scripture, we “bring out” of the text in order to reveal, to make known and to clarify. We don’t want to isogete, to put in; rather, we exegete, to bring out and make known. That is what Jesus did; He made the Father known.
Putting these three passages together, then, we have a much better understanding of Jesus’ title “The Word.” We see that Jesus is God’s final spokesman; Jesus is the One Who spelled out Deity for us, and the One Who has made the Father known. That’s what is meant by the term “The Word.” He is communication and revelation.
Christ, then, is the One who has made the incomprehensible God intelligible. He makes the invisible God visible. He reveals God’s mind, expresses God’s will, makes known His character, and lays open God’s heart to us.
In the beginning was the Word…
Jesus Christ is the pre-existent God. He is the eternal Word of God, God’s communication to the World. Christ reveals Him, speaks Him out, declares Him.
And the Word was with God…
We just saw the pre-existence of Christ; now we see the co-existence of Christ. Jesus Christ was with God in the beginning. Turn to Proverbs 8. This is a beautiful passage telling us of the wonderful fellowship of the Trinity. Jesus is here as wisdom.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 30 Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. Proverbs 8:27-31
Christ was coexistent with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He was by God’s side, delighting in fellowship together. Verse 2 states "He was with God in the beginning,” so He was co-existent. “And the Word was with God.”
And the Word was God…
Here is the second name of Jesus Christ. God! In Christ, we see Almighty God, the Lord of the Universe, the King of heaven and earth. He was pre-existent and co-existent, but now we see that, as God, He is self-existent.
Certain religious groups down throughout history have sought to denigrate Christ. In the third century a religious man by the name of Arius of Alexandria began teaching that God is Spirit. But Jesus Christ had flesh, therefore Jesus was only a man. He was a good man and should be followed, but not worshipped.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are modern-day Arians, likewise teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God but, as a man, we should not worship Him. But the truth of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God but also God the Son. The Word was God… He was not only born in Bethlehem as a human, but He also lived forever in heaven as the eternal God. He not only revealed God but was Himself God revealed in a human body. That’s why He could answer Philip, when Philip asked to see the Father, "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Colossians 2:9
Here, then, is the answer to our first question. If we want to know God, we must study Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Scriptures! Let this be our greatest delight as a church, let this be our one passion in life, to know God by looking at Jesus, as He is revealed in the Bible. The “light of the knowledge of the glory of God” is seen only “in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3
This is the third name of Jesus Christ: Creator. Nobody but God can create. Shirley MacLaine can shout “I am God” all she wants, but she is not able to create a single blade of grass.
Note that all of creation is here attributed to the Word — “All things were made by him.” This would not be true if He Himself were created. “All things were made by him.” Just as He was before all things and, therefore, eternal; so also He is the Originator of all things, and therefore, omnipotent, all powerful, Almighty!
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:4
Here is the next title, the fourth name of Jesus: Life! Well this is logical. If He created all things, He must be the Fountain of Life. He is the Life-giver. This further proves that he is God. He has life in himself; not only the true God, but the living God. God is life.
And the Life was the Light of all men. Here is the fifth title for Jesus Christ: Light! This speaks of the relationship which Christ has to men, all men — He is their “light.” This is confirmed by what we read in verse 9, The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”
How is Christ the “light of all men?” Every rational man is morally enlightened. It is this “light,” which lightens every man that comes into the world, which makes them responsible human beings.
We have noted the transcendence of Jesus Christ as Almighty God. In other words, we have seen that He is the Word, He is God, He is the Creator, He is Life and Light. He is above His creation, outside of time, dwelling in unapproachable light, wrapped in the glory of God and God of all eternity. He was pre-existent, co-existent and self-existent. This is the transcendence of God. Let us look now at the next name:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
His sixth title then is “Man.” This transcendent God, the eternal Creator, came to this earth and was born in a body. In Jesus Christ, we have both transcendence and immanence. The Almighty God, our Father, became Jesus the Man, our Brother. He Who was wrapped in the glory of God became wrapped in human flesh. He Who spelled out the Deity now can’t even spell. He Who was the Word, now can’t even talk.
Now, this truth creates awe, wonder, and worship in my heart. Listen how Calvin tries to describe it:
“If we look at God, and then compare ourselves with Him, how can we come near this highness which rises above the heavens? For there is nothing but rottenness in us; nothing but sin and death. How can we come near Him? Well then the only answer is that the living God, the well-spring of life, the everlasting glory, came to us; and not only approached us and our miseries, our sinfulness; not only did the majesty of God come near us, but He was joined to us, and made one with us, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ!”—John Calvin, A Treasury of Great Preaching
The Word, Who was there in the beginning, the Word Who was with God throughout all eternity, the Word Who was God, became flesh; He became a baby. And there He was: God in a manger: fullness of God in helpless Babe!
Let me illustrate why each of these two characteristics of our Lord are so important:
“Barb” sent an email to us, stating she had a rough week and so had said to God, “Yo, Dude, where’s my blessing?” Barb needs to see the awesomeness, the Majesty and Deity of King Jesus, the Almighty God Who reigns on high, and Who holds her next heartbeat and her next breath in His very hand. She needs to become aware of the transcendence of God, and fear Him! And then there was “John,” the New-Ager I worked with, who believed in the transcendence of God; that He was “above us and He can’t be reduced to words. John needs to see that God became Man and walked the earth, taking on a body like ours, becoming our Brother, our “Near Kinsman.”
But let’s delve even deeper into the mystery of godliness. We’ve seen that Jesus is the Word, and the Word was God, the Creator, the Life and the Light; we have seen that the Word became Man, but notice the next title for him in verse 29-30:
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29
Not only did the Almighty God stoop so low as to become a Man, but now we see Him being associated with a sacrificial animal. He who was wrapped in the glory of God, then wrapped in a human body, went to the cross, wrapped in our sin so that He might remove our sin.
This Lamb Who had no sin was treated as the guilty, so that guilty could be pardoned. Forgiven. Justified. Exonerated. Reconciled and Loved! Look at the words there in verse 29, that Jesus as the Lamb came to “take away the sin of the world.” The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all," and "made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in him." He was delivered over to death for our sins, and raised again for our justification.
And let me suggest two ways in which He removes sin: He removes both the guilt and the power of it. He takes away the condemning power of sin and then He takes away the enslaving power of sin. See what good would it do to pardon a criminal but leave him in prison? Through Jesus we can be free from guilt and from the power of drunkenness and drugs, pornography and impurity, anger and unforgiveness and bitterness. The world says once an addict always an addict, but the Lamb is able to take away our sins and remove them from us. Remove condemnation and open the prison door. Wow, what a powerful Lamb He is! What a Lion-like Lamb He is.
So, as we contemplate the awesomeness of the gospel; that the eternal God became a human being so that He might become a sacrificial Lamb, what is our response? Let me suggest two and then we’re done:
1. Believe in Jesus
He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. John 1:7 (NIV)
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- John 1:12
Believe that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, the eternal Word, the Creator, the Life, the Light and the Lamb. We are to believe that God gave His Son to pay for our sin and to remove it. We are to believe that once we repent we are forgiven. We are to believe that Jesus took God’s hatred upon Himself that we might be loved eternally, and that He received God’s curse that we might be blessed forever. We are to believe that, like the hymn-writer said, “Our sins--oh the bliss of this glorious thought--our sins, not in part but the whole, are nailed to the cross, and I bear them no more.” Why? Because Jesus, the Lamb, removed them.
2. Follow Jesus
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." John 1:43
Once we become Christians through receiving Christ and believing in His Name, our lives consist of following Christ. Christianity is about faith and following. We follow Christ as we live, humbling ourselves to serve others, doing good in Jesus’ name and we follow Christ as we die to sin and live for righteousness.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5-10 (NIV)
I will tell you, the Word is so rich and so wonderful, this Lamb of God is so beautiful and so powerful, that I want to follow Him wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). I want to worship Him, to love Him, and to follow Him. We can know the living God through His living Word, and through the forgiveness of our sins.
“Thus did the Lamb come down from the great fields of heaven, and bow his head in submission to the sacrificial knife. Thus was his blood spilled, his flesh cut open and laid bare, and his whole nature torn, disjointed, and given to the burning flames of condemnation, so that your soul might live. Thus was he marred, and mangled, and consumed on Calvary, to divert eternal death from you. Look, and let your heart be melted into grateful, repentant joy; for, as you believe in Him, your sins are cancelled and remembered no more.—Gospel in Leviticus, The
Let’s worship Him who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all:
Declare His Majesty
In Christ Alone
